


Alone, They Wished

by DenebYL



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, LMAO, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 12:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19150729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DenebYL/pseuds/DenebYL
Summary: Sequel toAnd The Stars, Alone.-"Riku, Make a wish!"“Eh, no need.”“Why not? Even if you know they’re burnt up meteoroids, there’s nothing wrong with that.”“You’re already here with me.”





	Alone, They Wished

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elipsist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elipsist/gifts), [ZuzuHanyu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZuzuHanyu/gifts).



> val and furi  
> i love u guys sfm  
> this goddamn fic is for all the smack yall have been through okay I hope you enjoy this jumbled up giftfic that was the product of me wondering what if what if what if
> 
> Sequel to this[ one](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18975184).
> 
> Finally done holy oofs I'm sorry for any and all mistakes! obviously not proofread, and I'd hate to make u two wait longer >:\ I hope this healed the hurt I caused in And the Stars Alone
> 
> Probably not but I can dream
> 
> a man can dream.

Sora remembers floating.

In a sea of sequin stars, all by himself.

Milky speckles against the navy sea, dancing against one another in a ballroom of the night sky.

He closes his eyes, and he remembers how he came to be.

How he was named after the skies that he yearned for even from the windowside, longing to paint what is dappled by the clouds, a river of sparkling colours.

The soft sand below his feet that accompanied the salty breeze and the tranquil sounds of the waves washing ashore, the oft departing lover who desires what is there and yet, cannot stay.

Then the fireflies, and how mesmerized he was when one landed on his open palms, he remembered how he thought that it loved him back.

But it didn’t – or even if it did, he wouldn’t have known. His lips slightly curved upwards when he remembered how much he cried to his parents, saddened by the thought of his unreciprocated firefly love.

And then all he saw was a blur, and a momentary fear that overcame him – and the same sea of lights, once again.

“…Again?”

He mumbles to himself, and tries to get a grasp of where he is.

A fingertip to a lone star, and it leaves his finger with a touch of sequin glitter.

So he reaches out to the constellations above him, and he realises that he can alter its shape, forming something else entirely.

But it really is no use – not that any of this is helping him remember.

He turns around, and sees a transparent shape – something oval, like a budding flower.

And he could feel himself falling asleep, as he remembers – the easy part.

The way his heart skipped a beat, the way it would flutter at the sight of familiar aquamarine eyes.

Sora remembered how the sight of him made him feel safe, an embrace that was warm and cozy, one that made him forget the world that existed before them.

How, whenever Sora looked into his eyes, he saw a wondrous galaxy. Full of mysteries, and yet it was welcoming.

He remembered the one night they spent out stargazing. There was a tent set up, and he remembers the plaid picnic blanket laid out on the grass.

He fondly recalls the fairy lights set up on the back, a warm feeling setting in his chest at the thought. 

Then, Sora remembers one windy spring, where he saw him waiting under a cherry blossom tree.

He remembered how he was so hesitant, wondering if it was a trick being played on him.

But it wasn’t. It was far from that, and it ended up being one of the best springs that he’d experienced after...

After he had died.

Now he remembers what happened.

Looking back, he thought that it was just his mind tricking him, convinced that the glimmer in those aquamarine eyes were just because of his rose colored lenses that he liked to put on.

He opened his eyes to the same starry background, and noticed a star above him.

Reaching out to it, he plucked the star from where it perched and held it close to his heart.

The way it shone against his chest, Sora is reminded of the way that his mind would freeze up and want to be honest, how he wanted to express his true feelings and hold his hand.

But from this the remembers the hard part, and along with the name came the heartache.

He remembers the stars against the river, the silver glint against the crescent moon shining against Riku’s hair as he held his hand out, and the same tartan blanket laid on its own on the grass.

He remembers the tears that he couldn’t hold back.

How he promised he would finally go once he had experienced what it felt like to have your heart beat faster, to blush at the sight of someone. He promised that he just had to experience it once, the feeling of looking at someone and wanting to be by their side no matter what the future throws at them, because he’s not afraid of it.

He just really wanted to know what it would feel like to be with someone who made him feel like the future doesn’t scare him at all, and he felt it.

But the heartache, the longing and yearning and the pleading in his heart – he let a teardrop fall to his cheek, cursing his naiveté that made that agreement under the guise that as long as he wasn’t loved in return, then it was okay.

But he was loved in return.

For when he expected a farewell from his greeting, instead he received a warm greeting and a smile in return.

So now here he is, in the middle of nowhere, his aching heart wishing for a love that now can never be.

He closes his eyes again, and cries himself to sleep with the lone star still in his embrace.

-

The next thing Sora knew was that he was now seven, and it was spring. Again.

Actually, not just that. He knew now that he had gotten a second chance… he thinks.

It was pretty awkward, actually. Having to relive your childhood with memories of your previous life.

Though it was interesting to see how mesmerized parents get when you’re able to point out what comes after ‘D’ in the alphabet and what comes after the number ‘13’.

But the one thing that made a difference in this lifetime was the fact that he and Riku are now neighbours.

He’d had some doubts if this boy was really Riku. Though they've got the same name, the same hair colour, the same eye colour, the same scowl, the same way they sit down with their legs crossed…

It’s not like he’s ever been reincarnated before. Obviously, he’s never had this experience, so how was he supposed to know that this boy was 100% the same Riku?

All that he could really rely on was his gut feeling, which insisted that it was Riku. It’s not like he had any proof that this Riku-like boy is not actually him.

…Right?

He looked down, and he was immediately reminded of the homework that he was supposed to do over the weekend.

Sora pouted, disappointed by the fact that even though he managed to go through something as cool as reincarnation, he still had to do homework.

Now he wishes that he had paid attention in school, back in his previous lifetime.

He glared at one of the equations, and scribbled the answer with one hand holding his chin up, as if it was the only thing preventing him from falling asleep or ditching the homework entirely.

He moved on, and kept tapping the paper with the end of the pencil.

If only there was some way to make the school aspect of reincarnation go away…

Just then, he heard a knock on the window, and a faint voice calling out to him.

Sora glanced over to the clock that was just by the window, and suddenly he felt a chill down his spine.

It was currently 7.45, extremely dark outside, and his room is on the second floor.

The combination of all those things could only mean one thing…

“…S-Seriously? Ghosts…?”

He held his breath, though he was scared and for some reason was still looking at the window.

To the average person, it might seem as if he’s trying to scare the ghost away by glaring at the window…

He then heard the sound of something hitting a can, and then he heard it again.

That knock, and that faint call of his name.

Scared and no longer wanting to deal with it, Sora then crouched towards his window and closed the curtain.

He let out a huge sigh of relief, and sat on the floor. When five minutes passed by and he no longer heard the voices anymore, he took a deep breath and told himself that it was probably a cat.

…After all, ghosts don’t exist, right?

Though as soon as he though that, he was quickly reminded of the brief time that he was a ghost.

“I mean, I wasn’t a bad ghost or anything…” He mumbled.

Then he heard a knock at the door, and his mom calling for him.

“Sora?”

“Yeah?”

He quickly sat up and approached the door. He opened it to let his mother in, but she handed her phone to him instead.

“Riku wants to talk to you.”

Sora put the phone to his ear, and heard a muffled ‘hello’.

“Hello?” He responded. “Riku, I can’t hear you very well.”

He heard shuffling on the phone, followed by a brief chuckle that was characteristic of Riku’s mom.

“Hello?”

Riku’s voice was loud and clear this time. Though… maybe a little bit loud.

“Hey.” He spoke again. “You were ignoring me.”

“Ignoring you?” Sora asked, unsure what he had meant by that.

“I made a thin can telephone.”

“Tin can.”

Sora could vaguely hear Riku’s mom correcting him.

“Tin can telephone. Yeah.” Riku repeated himself. “Anyway, open your window. Bye.”

“Hello, Sora?” It was his mom on the line, this time. “Can I speak to your mum?”

“Oh, hi Riku’s mom. Okay.” He quickly greeted her, and gave his mom the phone back. “Mom she wants to talk to you.”

Sora could hear her leave the room with a chuckle and a brief “That was kind of cute…”, but he wasn’t too curious to know the entirety of that sentence. 

Immediately, he closed the door as soon as she left, and opened the curtain again to the sight of a Riku who was patiently waiting behind the window while holding two tin cans.

So he opened the window, and Riku gestured at him to get ready to catch the other tin can.

The first attempt didn’t quite succeed, though. Riku’s throw wasn’t strong enough, and they both stared at the can as Riku pulled the tin can that was dangling between them.

The second attempt was close enough, but Sora did not quite catch the tin can. He fumbled with it a little bit, but ended up dropping it.

“Third times the charm, right?”

“Huh?” Riku asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“I mean, third time! Let’s go, we can do it.” Sora cheered from his side.

“Well, alright. You better catch it this time.”

Unfortunately, the third time was _not_ the charm. Riku put too much into the throw that he didn’t hold on to his tin can, and Sora all but dropped the one that he was supposed to catch.

“I’ll go get it!” “Oh, sorry! I’ll get it!”

They said in unison, but they didn’t quite hear the other when they said it, and they left their rooms to head into the garden where the tin cans had fallen to.

As he went down the stairs and to the garden, Sora felt a slight pang of guilt. Because if he was being completely honest, he didn’t catch it because in that brief moment his mind decided to look at Riku and determine that this was indeed the same person.

The same person who went to the rooftop and had lunch with him, regardless the weather.

The same person who knew what he truly was, but didn’t let it deter him.

The same exact person.

So, yes, he felt a bit guilty for that, but he also felt a little giddy.

Because those warm, determined tourmaline eyes assured him.

He reached the garden, and picked up one of the tin cans that he had found.

A quick glance around and he couldn't find the other, so he looked at the string attached to the bottom at the can and tugged at it.

But it did nothing, as if the other can was stuck somewhere.

So he tugged at it again, and got a harder tug in response.

Sora raised an eyebrow, wondering if a cat had gotten ahold of it and was trying to claim it for himself, so he tugged at it again.

Instead of another tug, he heard a voice come in through the can.

“…ra…”

He then spoke in through the can.

“Riku? Hello? Hello…?”

He put the can back and forth, from his mouth to his ear, but got no response in return. He became unsure if it was still working… or not, anymore.

But it should, right? As long as the string is attached? Because he’s pretty sure the other tin can is still attached to the string…

He frowned, but then he heard rustling from the other side, and lo and behold – half of Riku’s face peeked in from the tall bush that was in his garden.

“I can’t say anything if you keep doing that, you know.”

“Oh, uh…” Sora laughed sheepishly. “Sorry. I thought the string broke or something.”

“Well, with the way you pulled at it, I’m surprised it’s still working.” Riku showed the tin can that was still attached to the string. “I guess that weird guy at the market was right. This is really strong.”

“I didn’t pull at it that much!”

“Yeah… you did.” Riku laughed. “You know, I thought it was a really angry cat that was pulling at it.”

“If anything, I thought you were an angry cat!” Sora stuck his tongue out.

The two burst into laughter, though it was brief because then Riku asked the one thing they both still don’t know the answer to.

“So, what should we do with the tin can telephone?”

“Um, I don’t know.” Sora shrugged. “I mean we can keep throwing it, hope either you or I finally catch it?”

“Hmm…” Riku bit his lip. “I don’t think we’d want to leave it out in the garden like this.”

As he looked away from Riku, trying to figure out what they can use to make sure the tin can telephones stay on their windows, he noticed their mothers looking out the window and waving at him. Both still on their phones, and they’re _definitely_ still talking to each other.

“Maybe we can ask our moms?” Sora turned to look at him, and nodded to himself. “Also, I think they’ve been spying on us.”

“I mean…” Riku turned to look at the window, and then back at Sora. “They’re _definitely_ spying on us.”

They laughed together, and decided that they’ve had enough for tonight. Sora handed the other tin can to Riku, and they both came up to their mothers and asked if they could help them with the tin can telephones.

And in the nights following that particular one, Riku would sometimes hear Sora snore through his end of the tin can.

Not that he minded. He got to tease Sora the very next day, as they walked to school.

As for Sora, he felt his heart flutter whenever he remembered that this was the exact same Riku that he met on that fateful school rooftop.

Because he got a second chance.

A real second chance.

-

The next thing that Sora knew was that he was now fourteen, and it was summer. Again.

They had set up a camp in Sora’s garden, and they were lying on the grass, facing the summer sky.

“Riku, what do you wanna be when you grow up?”

Sora sat up, and stared at Riku who was still chewing on his gum.

“What’s with the sudden question?”

“Um, nothing.” Sora shrugged it off. “Just curious. Didn't think I’ve ever asked you that before.”

“Huh, okay.” Riku paused for a bit. “I actually haven’t thought about it.”

“Oh, really?” Sora tilted his head to the side. “You’ve always looked like you’ve got a plan. Even before, as well.”

“Before?” Riku raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah.” He grinned sheepishly. “…You know, like, for as long as I’ve known you. Even back in grade school as well.”

“Well, that’s quite the compliment.” Riku smiled at him. “What about you? You got something in mind?”

At that question, Sora sighed.

“Honestly… I don’t know.” He leaned back, and stared at the sky. 

“Well, I think we’ve still got plenty of time to figure that out, right?”

“Actually… I think I said I wanted to be on television.” He hummed to himself. “I remember back when I was in fifth grade, Miss Dia asked if I had a hobby, and maybe I could work with that.”

“I don’t think sleeping is a job, Sora.”

“Hey, my hobby isn’t sleeping!” Sora lightly punched Riku’s shoulder, and the two of them laughed at it.

“But maybe… an astronomer?”

“Really?”

“Really!” Sora paused, wondered if he still didn’t believe him.

“Okay.”

“Hey, I bet you I know something that you don’t.”

“Alright.” Riku sat up next to him. “Tell me that something that I don’t know, then.”

“Let’s see…” Sora glanced around the starry sky, and then quickly pointed at the hazy summer sky. “There.”

“…The sky?”

“Actually, I’m talking about how hazy the sky looks.” He turned to look at Riku with a smile. “Do you know why the stars are hazy during summer?”

“Huh, I actually…” Riku paused. “I actually don’t know that.”

“That’s because right now, the earth is facing the galaxy. The center of it, I mean.” Sora explained, glee in his voice. “Right now, what you’re looking at is the combined light of billions of stars. That’s why it’s cloudy – from all that light.”

“Okay, then.” Riku nodded. “So what you’re saying is that there are less stars in winter?”

“…Yep.” Sora sighed. “But that’s because we’re looking away from the galaxy’s center…”

“…So the evening sky is clearer and sharper.” He mumbled.

Though he mumbled it quietly, Sora could hear what he had said, and he could feel his eyes well up with tears.

He could feel his heart soar, but… he doesn’t know why he’s crying.

“…Sora?” Riku turned to look at Sora, who now had tears running along his cheek.

Riku didn’t know why he was crying, or what had happened, but what he knew next was that Sora leaned in close and hugged him.

As for Sora, he never really explained to Riku why he had cried.

Though at some point he joked and said that he was surprised that Riku knew the conclusion, he knew full well that that wasn’t the reason.

But this left him up some nights, wondering if Riku remembered anything from their past lives.

-

The next thing that Sora knew was that he was now eighteen, and it was autumn. Again.

They had just graduated high school, and Riku was headed to Tokyo for University.

_Surprise, surprise._

He put down the iced coffee that he was drinking, and made a face towards Riku, who was still looking out the window with a blank expression on his face.

Sora had hoped that Riku would look at his face and laugh anytime soon, but the seconds pass and Riku didn’t even steal a glance towards Sora.

He was still staring out the window, and hadn’t let out a single noise – that is, until he quietly sighed.

“Riku?”

“…I had a really weird dream.”

“…A weird dream?” Sora tilted his head to the side, and then had a wide grin on his face. “Oh, did you dream about how lonely it would be in Tokyo without me?”

Riku raised an eyebrow, and stuck his tongue out.

“Hey, I’ll finally be able to eat my burgers without that extra lettuce that you always sneak in in mine.”

“But then you won’t have your extra intake of vegetables anymore! How will you stay healthy?”

Riku laughed a bit, along with Sora, but then it died down far too quick – much to Sora’s anxiety.

“So… do you wanna tell me about the weird dream you had?”

“Um,” Riku clicked his tongue. “It’s just really weird.”

“Uh-huh.”

“…I don’t know why, but,” Riku shrugged. “I dreamed that you were gone? You faded away… And then it’s just a fast forward of me travelling the world for some reason.”

Sora paused, unsure how to respond.

Did Riku… remember?

“I-Is that so?” Sora laughed sheepishly, and then laughed. “Maybe you’re looking for me.”

“Hmm…” Riku bit his lip, but then nodded. “Maybe.”

“I mean, that’s so sweet of dream you to do!” Sora grinned. “…I don’t think it’s that… weird?”

“I think the weird part for me is that… I think I’ve lived it before.” Riku looked outside the window again, the pitter-patter of rain hitting the glass. “It feels too familiar?”

Though he was trying to lighten up the mood, Sora had to bite his lip because he’d almost said that maybe this was a premonition of the future.

He doesn’t want to go through it again.

He… wouldn’t let Riku live through it again. Not in this lifetime.

Sora remembers how it felt. The pain. The tears. The emptiness.

It wasn’t the unbearable kind – no. It was not like when he touched the electric stove in Riku’s house that one time, nor was it like when he fell down the stairs and had to be rushed to the hospital.

But it was an obviously different kind. He knew it well – after spending all that time on his own.

The pain was permeating, and it hurt enough to make you want to cry your eyes out.

And every time you do cry, you feel the pain envelop your whole heart. You’d stop, once in a while – but only out of fear that the sadness would consume you whole.

“Sora?”

Riku’s voice put a halt to his train of thoughts, and his expression was full of worry – not even a single attempt to mask it.

“You’re… crying.”

Sora put his hand up to his cheek and, upon noticing that it was wet, immediately wiped it off with the sleeve of his jacket.

“I’m… I’m not.”

But the tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

The walk home was quieter than usual, and the usual sense of comfort between the two of them was gone.

That night, for the first time in eighteen years, Riku laid in bed without knowing why Sora cried.

As for Sora, he curled under a blanket and hated himself, leaving his phone face down and ignoring what Riku had to say.

For the first time in forever.

-

The next thing that Sora knew was that he had just turned nineteen, and it was now winter.

Again.

He hadn’t spoken to Riku in over three months.

Well, in real life, anyway.

But they’d exchange messages, once in a while.

Sora had been avoiding Riku for the past few weeks, still unsure of what to say if he brought up what happened last time.

-

_”I had that sort of dream again. I went to an old house, met this old lady… Then I found a book that had your name on it. “Sora’s Worlds” is written on it. Sounds like you.”_

_“What’s in it?”_

_“It’s a travel book, I think. I don’t remember much, though. Just that it had a ton of places to visit, things to do… I think dream me got very inspired and decided to travel?”_

_“That’s cool.”_

-

_”Dreamt about you again. Something about being in a field of forget-me-not flowers.”_

_“Nice. Where?”_

_“Don’t know. Took a picture, then put it in your travel book. Hope you didn’t mind.”_

_“I mean, I think that’s a nice addition to it.”_

-

_”I’m out of dreams today. You wanna go somewhere? Kairi’s told me that your favourite parfaits are on discount.”_

_“Not today, sorry. Gotta do chores...”_

_“For the fifth consecutive week?”_

_“Yep… I’ve been neglecting the dishes, forgetting to change my sheets...”_

_“Alright, then.”_

-

As he stared at the old messages, he felt a tinge of sadness surface in his chest and pressed the home screen.

He was exhausted, completely unsure how to face Riku after that.

Even his mother had tried to press him for details.

-

_”You haven’t gone out with Riku in a while, have you, sweetie?”_

_“Uhh, no... Not really.” He stopped chopping the onions, and then turned to face his mother. “Did… something happen…?”_

_“Nothing. Just… wondering, that’s all.” She smiled. “I mean, you two have been inseparable since diapers, and I’m just wondering if something had happened…”_

_“Something…” Sora shook his head, and continued cutting the onions. “Um, not really. I’ve just been really busy.”_

_“I see.” The mother nodded._

_Unfortunately, the silence began to feel unbearable, and Sora felt the need to add._

_“Um, don’t worry. We still message each other all the time.”_

_“Alright. I won’t worry.”_

_“…And I still see him through the window sometimes.” He laughed a little, trying to levy the situation._

_“Got it.”_

_He was absolutely sure that it was not the onions that had made him tear up, but he was glad that he could use them as an excuse to take a break._

-

Sora sighed.

It’s beyond him, really. How someone could screw up in two lifetimes...

Suddenly, Sora let out a small squeak – surprised by the message that he had just received.

_”Dreamt of you again. You telling me that you want to swim all day, something like that… That’s you, alright. Hope you’re doing okay. It’s colder than usual today - looks like winter came early.”_

_“I would totally swim if it wasn’t so cold today. Thanks for worrying about me. Hope you’re okay, too.”_

_“Yeah, I’m okay. Apparently dream me also went sailing to these small islands… Wanna tell me what else is on your travel book so I know what to expect in my future dreams?”_

_“Hmm… Space travel.”_

_“I’ve heard Mars is beautiful this time of year. Well, if I don’t dream of Mars tonight, I know where you live.”_

Sora’s lips quietly curved into a smile, but then it went away in a heartbeat.

Of course that’s what Riku did after he had gone.

The thought of the travel book brought back a faint smile to his face.

“Sora’s Worlds”. His travel book, written by yours truly. He’d put all the pictures together, the travel plans together, the places to visit… Even the silly little drawings. He did it all himself, just months before he passed.

On one hand, he was glad. It seemed that Riku had somehow found his travel book, and lived that life for him.

But on the other, he had screwed up.

He had been given a second chance, only to ruin it all on that one day – and he can’t get out of it.

How was he going to get out of it in the first place? How was he going to explain why he had cried so much that day, why he has been refusing to see Riku, piling up his schedule with one lie after another… Though Sora knew that Riku would respect his boundaries and not push him if he had said that he didn’t want to discuss it, how long was he going to let this sit between them?

…He wasn’t about to lie to Riku – that’s for sure. Even if he wanted to lie his way out of it, he wasn’t sure what he was about to say…

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the window, and a faint voice calling out to him.

A combination of voices he hadn’t heard in… years.

He knew perfectly well what it was, what it meant, but he ignored it for a little bit as he negotiated with his thoughts.

Sora wanted to avoid talking to Riku, face to face. What if he brought it up? He hadn’t concocted the perfect… excuse just yet.

So maybe he could pretend that he was sick, down with a fever. Right?

But he couldn’t keep doing this to Riku.

He recycled the thoughts again and again, and he kept going back to square one…

He grabbed the pillow right beside him and stared at the pastel blue that it was wrapped in, as if it would give him answers.

But before Sora could do anything else, a notification lit up his phone screen.

To no one’s surprise, it was Riku.

_”Thin can telephone – not a ghost, I promise. Open your window._

Sora took a deep breath, and exhaled. He can’t avoid Riku forever. So be it, he supposes.

If he asks, well…

Sora pouted, and then puffed his cheeks as if to muster up all his courage.

He left his bed and opened the window, then turned to the basket that his mother had made for him all those years ago – just for the tin can telephones.

On the other side, Riku was still on his phone, probably unaware that Sora was now on the other side of the tin can telephones. But he was holding the can close enough for him to hear,

“Did you mean _tin_ can telephones?”

Riku nodded to himself in response. Perhaps Riku was aware all along, seeing as he wasn’t taken by surprise.

“Thought you’d laugh if I reminded you of when I thought ‘tin’ and ‘thin’ were the same thing.”

Sora let out a chuckle, and Riku only smiled.

And though it was only for a moment, from their reactions they knew how much the other had missed this.

They’d missed this.

“You been doing alright?” Riku asked.

Sora only sighed as he nodded.

“I guess.”

“I’m guessing you still don’t want to talk about what happened.”

Sora bit his lip, and shook his head weakly.

“I… don’t know. Not really…”

“It’s okay, I don’t have to know what it is, but…” He rested his arm on the windowsill. “Remember that I’m here for you no matter what.”

“I know.” Sora smiled.

“And honestly, I’ve missed you.”

Sora had to bite his lip to stop the wide grin that he knew was coming on from that.

But… he didn’t quite succeed. And he could feel his smile grow wider.

“Aw, you softie.”

“And you didn’t?” Riku put a hand on his chest, feigning heartbreak. “You wound me.”

As the sunset came and went, they talked on the tin can telephones as if they were children again.

And while they mended their friendship back together after the distance that had grown in between, Sora happened to look up on the looming night sky and an idea popped into his head.

“…You know, I… I’ve been having dreams just like you have.”

“Really?” Riku couldn’t hide the intrigue in his voice.

“I dreamt that we met in a school. A high school, to be exact. You were in your third year, and I was a ghost.”

“That sounds like the plot of a YA Novel.”

“I know, right?” He laughed. “I was haunting the school because… I wasn’t ready to go yet.”

“And why is that?”

“…Because I wanted to know what falling in love felt like.”

Though Riku didn’t press him for more, Sora continued.

“I’d never cared for it much. Dream me, I meant.” He let out a sheepish laugh. “I mean, he loved his friends and family, but… he never had the time to fall in love.”

Sora sighed, but somehow…

Somehow, he’d found it in himself to keep going.

“Because he fell sick. So sick that he stopped going to school, so sick that he found it hard to walk… and eventually, I–” He paused the moment he felt a lump surface in his throat. “…He only had the night sky to find comfort in, knowing that the person he would fall in love with was staring at the same sky. The same crescent moon, the same bright stars…”

Sora laughed weakly.

“And… He wanted to travel the world, too. He made a travel book. Pictures he had found online, silly drawings he made, places to visit…”

There was a pause between the two of them, until Riku decided to continue the story.

“…I’m guessing he never made it.”

“He… ended up haunting a school rooftop.” Sora grinned.

“…Which was where he fell in love?”

“…Yep.”

Sora sighed, and wondered if Riku… remembered. Or if he had remembered, if he now knew that he had known all along.

He bit his lip, feeling anxiety bubble up in his stomach as neither of them said a thing. He tried to look anywhere else but Riku – the rooftops, the gardens, the cat currently lying down under his mother’s persimmon tree…

“That’s a one of a kind dream.” Riku said, breaking the silence.

“Uh, yep.” Sora laughed sheepishly.

“Do you think... It’s our past life?”

“…I wonder.” He shrugged. “If it was, it’s pretty cool that we’re neighbours in this life.”

“I wonder how many lifetimes we’ve spent together.”

“I’d like to think that we don’t remember because then you’d keep telling me about how annoying I am.” Sora stuck his tongue out. “Too bad, past life Riku!”

The two of them shared laughter that they had missed out on in a long time, and Sora refused to stop making funny faces.

When Riku finally stopped, he sighed.

“…You know, I really did miss you, though.”

“Hey, you’re not getting away.” Sora laughed. “Not with your sweet talk. I know you too well!”

“No, really.” Riku weakly smiled. “…I was up nights, wondering if I had screwed up… or if I had said something wrong to you.”

“Huh?” Sora tilted his head. “You didn’t, I promise.”

“Well… Thanks for that.” He nodded. “I’m glad that you still wanted to talk to me, at least.”

“Of course I do!” Sora pouted. “I’m... sorry for what I put you through these past few months. I really do love you too much for that.”

Riku smiled hearing his words, and let out a chuckle.

“And I love you too.”

That night, for the first time in all of his two lifetimes combined, Sora felt his burdens ease.

Gone is the anxiety that told him how he had screwed up their whole relationship for the rest of this lifetime. Gone is the fear that was there, of having to break Riku’s heart a second time.

“So, uh… Riku.”

“Yeah?”

“…Discount parfait tomorrow?” Sora grinned.

“Don’t know if they still do it. It’s been a week since Kairi told me.”

“…Wanna go look for discounted other-kinds-of-foodstuffs tomorrow, then?”

“Whoa, the first invitation in months. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be Cinderella when she got the invitation to the ball?”

“Come on, Cindere-Riku! You’ve got no evil stepsisters to stop you!”

And as they talked into the night, all that they saw for the rest of it was the stars in each other’s eyes.

-

Much, much later, when Sora finally confessed his feelings for Riku, he really did take Riku by surprise.

Not because of Sora’s confession, no.

“I… didn’t know we weren’t not already dating?”

“…Since when?” Sora raised an eyebrow, as he was the one who was surprised this time around.

“…Since you told me you dreamt about falling in love with me?” Riku asked.

Sora paused, and shook his head.

“…That wasn’t a love confession.”

Riku paused, crossing his arms.

“It wasn’t?” He was still staring at Sora.

“No...”

“Oh.”

They stared at each other for a while, and as usual, it ended in laughter between the two of them.

They stayed there for a while, watching the starry sky reflected in the river that the bridge overlooked.

And just as Riku looked up, a shooting star made its way across the night sky.

“Riku?”

“Yeah?”

“Make a wish!” Sora grinned.

He raised an eyebrow, and then pat Sora’s head. He then squeezed Sora’s cheeks.

“Eh, no need.”

“Why not? Even if you know they’re burnt up meteoroids, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“You’re already here with me.”

Riku walked in front of Sora, and turned to smile at him – who now had a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

As they walked home hand in hand, the stars twinkled above them.

No longer were they alone, words of affection left unsaid to the breezing wind, carrying them to naught.

Not anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> dreamed? dreamt? dream---d? fml
> 
> time to yeet myself into the void and disappear again
> 
> thanks for reading!


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